The UK’s Department for International Development is seeking applications for its program entitled “International Growth Centre – Phase 3”.

The third phase of the IGC will focus on delivering research and policy products to developing countries with the aim of driving the economic transformation needed to create jobs for the future and set countries on a trajectory out of poverty. This is expected to be the last phase of large scale DFID support to the IGC and as such should be concentrated on ensuring research leads to policy action.

Programme information Funding will be provided to support a third phase of the International Growth Centre (IGC) from January 2019 to December 2025 (seven years). When approved in 2008, the IGC was originally envisaged as a ten year programme. The second phase, which began in April 2013, was seen to have the potential to deliver policy changes that would help raise economic growth in 15 countries with a population of around one billion (of which over 40% were currently estimated to be living in poverty). The third phase of the IGC will:

Provide high-quality independent, practical and demand responsive policy support and research to developing countries (including Government, Private Sector and NGOs), drawing on a network of researchers and experienced practitioners.

Establish short term, rapid response policy advice function to support partner country governments, including analysis to help understand potential growth pathways and how to orient policies to unlock this potential.

Deliver and disseminate world class research on selected cross-cutting aspects of growth.

Diversify the funding base to become a more financially sustainable model.

There is strong evidence that progress on growth and economic development will deliver poverty reduction and wider prosperity. They expect this work to lead to more transformational growth in the countries that we work, leading to more jobs and raised incomes for greater prosperity. It would drive progress on trade, the promotion of FDI and domestic investment.